In the past few years, a whole range of tech-related solutions has emerged to help people take care of their mental health and wellbeing. Every year, more and more solutions are popping up. If you’re wondering how you can take care of your mental health through the use of technology in 2020, here are five ways you can use this new reality to your advantage.
- Therapy No Longer Has to Take Place in an Office
Back in the day, when people envisioned therapy sessions, they thought of a patient lounged out comfortably on a couch while the therapist sat behind their desk, scribbling notes in a pad with a fancy gold-plated pen. This may still happen but the fact is, technology is taking over. And with that, so is teletherapy.
Teletherapy is essentially regular therapy sessions that are conducted through a live video stream online. These therapists are treating their patients in the same way as they would if they were in person. The Therapy Group of DC specializes in teletherapy and they are an expert in treating various mental illnesses and even daily stressors.
- Websites Lower Prescription Costs
We can thank the internet for lowered prescription costs. Without medical insurance, many medications are extremely expensive. If someone can not afford to pick up their psychiatric medications, their mental health could rapidly regress.
Fortunately, USARx is a legitimate website that offers discount codes on prescription medications. Their site is easy to navigate. All you have to do is type in the name of your medication, click search, and you will see the lowered pricing at a range of different pharmacies. Without technology, the world wouldn’t be able to benefit from this service. And taking care of your mental health is critical—including taking your meds as prescribed.
- Virtual Reality Goggles Treat Phobias
When you think of virtual reality (VR,) you probably first think of gaming. But technology is advancing to the point that VR is being used as a form of exposure therapy for phobias. A clinical psychology professor who works at the University of Oxford helped people with reducing their fear of heights, one of the most common phobias. By leading each patient into a virtual world, where they were “standing” at high heights, he gradually desensitized them to their biggest fear in the entire world.
- Crisis Text Lines Are a Thing Now
Almost everyone is familiar with the suicide hotline, although they may not know that crisis text lines exist. If you’re struggling with an urge to engage in self-mutilation—a live person, who is trained and ready to help you, is only one text away. The same goes for people battling eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. Calling a hotline may make some people feel uncomfortable.
It feels less anonymous than texting. Sending a text provides the comfort of knowing that no one will know who you are or recognize your gouge. This fact alone allows anyone that is suffering to vent and be completely open via the text. Text lines are generally open 24/7; they are a huge step in technology benefiting mental health issues.
- Social Media Support
When you are dealing with a bad day or facing a monumentally stressful time in life, you can turn to your friends on social media for support. People share everything on social media—what they eat, how far along they are in their pregnancy, even what time they go to sleep. Using social media for mental health reasoning can be productive.
If you’re sad, post about it on Facebook. If you’re enraged, Tweet your heart out. You’ll be surprised how many people can identify with the struggle you’re experiencing. On occasion, you’ll run into social media bullies. If this happens and it negatively impacts you, don’t engage; take a step away for as long as you need.
Also, if you see anything on social media that is triggering, you can text “741741” to the crisis text line meant for that exact purpose. Technology isn’t slowing down anytime soon—using it to take care of your mental health in 2020 is a worthwhile idea.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.